Today, more than 30,000 tons of garbage a day pollute rivers, seas and land making them a source of infection, so we explain the 5 reasons why to say yes to recycling.
Most of the waste is reusable and recyclable, the problem is that by not separating and mixing, they become garbage. Recycling at home means helping the planet and contributing to the fight against climate change and, as OXFAM Intermón tells us, there are irrefutable reasons to do so:
1. We use less raw materials
Recycling all kinds of materials such as glass, paper or plastic, there is no longer a need to extract new raw materials to manufacture products.
This is how we will save many natural resources and conserve our forests, whose fundamental job is to decontaminate the environment.
2. Lower energy consumption
Recycling reduces the work of extraction, transport and processing of new raw materials, which reduces the use of energy needed to carry out these processes.
The lower the energy consumption, the lower the degree of CO2, which reduces the greenhouse effect and also generates less pollution for the air, an important point for our health.
3. New products are manufactured
There are objects that we use every day that are born from recycling and perhaps we didn’t know it: shoe boxes made from tetrabriks, tire rims with soda cans or polar liners with PET plastic bottles.
In addition, there are companies that design parts that respect the environment. This new trend is known as eco-design.
4. We create jobs
The greater the volume of recycling, the greater the number of operators needed to manage all these wastes and “new materials”.
5. We contribute to preserving the environment
If we recycle industries, they pollute the air less; we protect our land because waste goes to its corresponding place and does not accumulate in rivers or seas; we avoid chemical fertilizers by using organic waste; and we also protect our aquifers by preserving the natural habitat of many species.